South Korea police defend probe of actor discovered useless

The head of the district police pressure that investigated South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun over allegations of unlawful drug use on Thursday defended the powerful questioning of him earlier than he was discovered useless.

Incheon Metropolitan Police chief Kim Hui-jung advised a news briefing your complete course of was justified and completed with Lee’s consent. He expressed “deep regret” over his demise and provided his condolences to his household.

Lee, 48, who performed the rich patriarch within the Oscar-winning movie “Parasite”, died on Wednesday.

His demise introduced an outpouring of sympathy from the movie business and the general public alike, in addition to questions over the apparently harsh and public nature of the probe that fuelled media protection delving into Lee’s non-public life.

Kim stated the questioning over Lee’s three appearances, together with a remaining one which went on all night time, was needed to listen to his facet and was completed within the presence of his lawyer.

“The investigation of the deceased was conducted based on specific reports, testimony and evidence and under legally prescribed procedures,” he stated.

Lee had denied he knowingly took unlawful medication and stated he was tricked into doing so by a bar hostess who was attempting to blackmail him, native news media reported earlier than his demise.

He made three extremely public appearances earlier than police since October, the final time for 19 hours in a single day, leaving the police station on Christmas Eve.

He declined to reply questions from reporters concerning the expenses in opposition to him however stated he was totally cooperating with the investigation.

He was discovered useless in a automobile at a park in Seoul after being reported lacking.

Former South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who was a human rights lawyer earlier than getting into politics, was amongst those that criticised police observe and sensational media reporting of the case.

“The practice that does huge damage to someone’s honour and character, such as excessively putting them at a media photo line, and pushes them to take the extreme choice must now end,” Moon stated on Facebook.

Film business colleagues visited the memorial arrange at Lee’s wake, together with “Parasite” director Bong Joon-ho and the Netflix hit sequence “Squid Game” actor Lee Jung-jae.

Incheon police had earlier questioned Okay-pop star G-Dragon over suspicion of unlawful drug use however dropped the case with out charging him.

The probe comes as a part of a crackdown by the federal government of conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol, who referred to as it a “war on drugs”.

There has been a string of high-profile arrests, together with enterprise conglomerate heirs and celebrities, below the nation’s powerful drug legal guidelines, which punish these discovered responsible of abusing medication in addition to drug dealing by as much as 14 years in jail.